Los Angeles Sparks vs. Connecticut Sun Preview, Prediction and Odds - 8/28/21
It’s an interconference battle of teams on opposite sides of the cut line in the WNBA playoff picture on the hardwood in the Nutmeg State. The Los Angeles Sparks are on the road as they make the trip to face the Connecticut Sun Saturday night in the second game of a two-game set. In the first meeting between the teams Thursday night, it was Connecticut taking a hard-fought 76-72 victory to maintain their recent hot stretch. The Sun have won five of the last seven meetings between the teams after prevailing Thursday. Will Connecticut maintain their momentum or can the Sparks find a way back into the win column?
Los Angeles Sparks Seeking Upset on the Road
Los Angeles won their first four games coming out of the Olympic break but has dropped two straight after falling Thursday night to the Sun. The Sparks dropped to 10-15 on the season and entered Friday ninth in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game behind the Wings for the final playoff spot. On Thursday, Los Angeles trailed by 10 after the opening quarter and by as many as 12 in the first half before regrouping. The Sparks took a three-point lead at the half and were up as many as eight midway through the third quarter. Los Angeles held a five-point lead with 2:56 to play in the third quarter before giving up a 12-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. The Sparks never got closer than two again, with that coming in the final minute. Los Angeles shot 47.4% from the field, including five of 16 from three-point range, but turned the ball over 15 times. Nia Coffey had 18 points off the bench to lead the Sparks.
On the season, Los Angeles is 12th in the league in scoring offense as they average 73.7 points per game. The Sparks are last in rebounding (30.2 boards per game) and 12th in assists (15.5) this season. Los Angeles is 2nd in scoring defense as they give up an average of 78.7 points a night. Nneka Ogwumike leads the team with 14.5 points plus 6.5 rebounds a game this season. Chiney Ogwumike (7.8 points, 4.8 boards) and Kristi Tolliver (9.4 points) are solid secondary scoring options. Derek Fisher hopes to get more from role players like Brittney Sykes, Nia Coffey (8.1 points), Erica Wheeler (13.5 points, 4.5 assists), Te’a Cooper (8.1 points), Amanda Zahui B. (10.6 points, 5.7 boards) and Arella Guirantes. Los Angeles is 12th in field goal percentage on the season as they shoot 40.5% from the field as a team on the year. The Sparks are tied for 8th in three-pointers per game (6.8) and 10th in three-point shooting as they convert 32.6% from beyond the arc this season. Los Angeles is 11th in success at the charity stripe as they cash in 76.5% of their attempts on the year. Jasmine Walker was lost for the season with a torn ACL that she suffered against Las Vegas May 21. Chiney Ogwumike missed 19 games with a knee injury before returning against the Liberty August 22.
Connecticut Sun Looking to Keep Rolling
Connecticut had a tough challenge but managed to earn their fifth straight win and their 11th in the last 13 games by downing Los Angeles Thursday night. The Sun improved to 19-6 on the season and own the top spot in the WNBA playoff picture by one game over the Aces. On Thursday, Connecticut started strong, taking a 10-point lead after the opening quarter and holding a 12-point edge in the second quarter. The Sun sputtered in the middle of the game, trailing by three at the half and by eight in the third quarter. Trailing by five with 2:56 to play in the third quarter, the Sun went on a 12-0 run to take a 62-55 lead early in the fourth quarter. Connecticut led the rest of the way, letting the Sparks no closer than two, en route to the victory. The Sun shot 43.3% from the field, including four of 16 from three-point range, and controlled the boards 30-23 in the win. Brionna Jones led Connecticut with 23 points and six boards in the victory.
The Sun is 10th in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 79 points per game so far this season. Connecticut is fourth in the league in rebounding (36.4 boards a night) while they stand 10th by dishing out 17.9 assists a game on the year. The Sun have been good defensively as they are first in scoring defense by allowing an average of 71.6 points per game. DeWanna Bonner is second on the Sun with 16.4 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. Jonquel Jones (team-high 20.1 points, 11.1 rebounds), Natisha Hiedeman (7.2 points) and Brionna Jones (14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds) each are valuable contributors. Jasmine Thomas (11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists), Briann January, Beatrice Mompreier, Stephanie Jones, DiJonai Carrington and Kaila Charles are important pieces for coach Curt Miller. Connecticut is fifth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44.2% as a team. The Sun are tied for sixth in three-pointers per game (seven) and fifth in three-point percentage (35.4%) on the year. Connecticut has been mediocre at the charity stripe as they convert on 80.9% of their attempts, which is 7th in the league. Alyssa Thomas is still out as she recovers from offseason surgery for a torn Achilles.
Pick: Connecticut Sun
The Sun have won seven straight regular season games after taking Thursday’s contest. While that stretch was interrupted with the loss in the Commissioner’s Cup final against Seattle, that had no impact on the standings. Meanwhile, the Sparks are dismal on the offensive end of the floor and that’s going to create some series issues for them in this one. Los Angeles is just 3-8 on the road this season while getting outscored by an average of 7.5 points per game in those contests. Connecticut is a sparkling 12-1 at home while outscoring opponents by 9.1 points a game. That’s more than enough to give the Sun the advantage in this contest.
Total: Under
The Sparks are last in the league when it comes to putting points on the board and they are going to face a stiff challenge when it comes to putting points on the board here. Connecticut leads the league in scoring defense by a wide margin. The Sun are also second in field goal percentage defense (41.2%) and rebounds allowed per game (28.3 boards a night) while they are third in three-point field goal percentage (32.4%) on the season. Los Angeles has seen the under hit in 16 of their 25 games, partially due to their weak offense and partially due to solid defensive play. Connecticut has seen 16 of their 25 games fall under the total, including seven of their last nine contests this year. In the head-to-head series, seven straight meetings had fallen short of the mark before Thursday night’s over. Even with that over, it was by a measly two points. Based on the fact that this game features the top two scoring defenses in the league, lean toward the under here.